Sabbats and Esbats of 2012

Sabbats (Holidays)

Imbolg (or Imbolc)- Thursday, February 2nd
Ostara/Spring Equinox - Tuesday, March 20th
Beltane - Tuesday, May 1st
Litha/Midsummer/Summer Solstice - Wednesday, June 20th
Lughnasadh (Loo-nah-sod) - Wednesday, August 1st
Mabon/Autumn Equinox - Saturday, September 22nd
Samhain (Sow-when/Sow-wane/Sav-in/Sam-Hayne)/Pagan New Years - Wednesday, October 31st
Yule/Winter Solstice - Friday, December 21st

 Esbats (Full Moons)

Monday, January 9th
Tuesday, February 7th
Thursday, March 8th
Friday, April 6th
Sunday, May 6th
Monday, June 4th
Tuesday, July 3rd
Thursday, August 2nd
Friday, August 31st (Blue Moon!)

Sunday, September 30th
Monday, October 29th
Wednesday, November 28th
Friday, December 28th

*Some dates are subject to change (mostly a few days one way or the other) due to varying religious traditions or cultures

Note: In most Pagan traditions, the time around Samhain/Halloween is the New Year, which makes sense because it is the time that plants die and animals go into hibernation in preparation for the cold winter months ahead. The world goes into a slumber at this time and awakens again in Spring at the time around Ostara/The Spring Equinox.

     Personally I find it odd that the modern day New Years is in the middle of winter. It's as if they split a season in half so that there is winter at the beginning and the end of each year, which seems unnatural or unbalanced.

To learn more about the Wheel of the Year, go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mabon_(Wicca)#Autumnal_Equinox

To learn more about individual Sabbats (and how to celebrate them), go here: http://wicca.com/celtic/akasha/index0.htm or here: http://www.13moons.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=1&chapter=30